Wire tensioner and fastener



July 21,1936. D. F. DOLSON WIRE TENSIONER AND FASTENER Filed July 25, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l July 21, 1936. D. F. DOLSON WIRE TENSIONER AND .FASTENER Filed July 25, 1933 2 SheetsSheet 2 Patented July 21, 1936 warren STATES PATENT OFFICE 12 Claims.

This invention relates to a tool for placing wire straps or the like under tension and thenfastening same and. is particularly adapted for use on corners of crates and building forms or molds.

An object of this invention is a tool which permits the wires to be drawn taut and fastened without changing the lead thereof. Another object is a tool which permits a maximum of tension being obtained and then permits the wires to be fastened without loss of tension. A further object is a device which applies the tension without distorting the object about which the wire is strapped or through which it is drawn. A still further object is a tool which is compact rugged and may be efficiently operated by one person. These and other objects will be readily understood from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective of one embodiment of the invention in position for use,

Fig. 2 is a side view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a View on the line 33 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a view of another embodiment of the invention as seen in perspective resting on a fiat surface,

Fig. 5 is a side View of the embodiment shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 6 is an end view in section of Fig. 5.

The tool comprises a body 1 consisting of a base 2 and head 3 the head 3 being rotatable in the base 2. Base 2 is preferably cast or stamped from a single piece and is made up of a pair of substantially large faces 44' arranged at right angles to one another and provided with leadways 5-5' and an upwardly projecting collar I0 provided at the interior with an annular supporting and. bearing surface 12, which supports the head 3.

Head 3 comprises a journal portion 1 which loosely fits into the collar and rests on the supporting surface I2 of base 2. A transverse groove 9 cut out from journal portion 1 forms the oppositely disposed guideways l8-l8' in head 3, the groove being so cut that the upper wall 9 thereof is spaced substantially above the corner of the crate when the tool is in position thereon, for reasons hereinafter explained. Projecting upwardly from journal ortion 1 is a pair of ears 2El-20 the ears being parallel to the line ill-l1 which is the imaginary bisector of the angle A at the corner of the object being wired. Ears 2ll-20 are provided with alined apertures 21 which support the transverse tensioning arm 24 at right angles to the ears and line I 1-l1.

Carried by arm 24 intermediate of ears 20-20' is a ratchet 26, preferably of the reversible type wherein a pawl 30 is adapted to engage suitable teeth (not shown) on arm 24 or be disengaged therefrom by a partial turn of the handle 29 about its longitudinal axis. Arm 24 is provided 5 with suitable jaws 28-28 to which the wire may be secured.

As indicated in Fig. 3 with head 3 placed in position so that guideways lS-HB' and leadways 5-5 are in alinement a substantially continuous 10 passageway is formed through the tool permitting wire 34 to be led in a straight line from the side of the crate to jaw 28, and in like manner wire 33 may be led to jaw 28, the two wires crossing at the corner of the crate. Arm 24 is spaced by ears -29 at a fixed relative distance from the corner of the crate, and extends sufficiently to each side of the ears to form the base of an isoceles triangle, the sides of which are formed by the wires 33 and 34 and the angle at the apex will 20 be the same as that at the corner of the object being tied, which in the embodiment illustrated is 90%.

In operation the wire is crossed and the base slid in place over same, a convenient opening it being provided in base 2 for this purpose. The wires are alined with leadways 5-5 to permit the faces 44' maintaining a fiat contact with the crate. The head 3 is then put in place with the wires leading through guideways l8l8 and. through jaws 23-28f, then with pawl 30 engaging arm 24 handle 29 is actuated in a vertical plane to rotate the arm and draw the wires taut. When sufiicient tension has been applied handle 29 is rotated in a horizontal plane to cause the arm 24 to be rotated about the imaginary vertical axis formed by line 11- -11 to rotate head 3 and secure the wires by twisting them around one another as indicated in dotted outline Figs. 3 and 5.

It will be noted that when that arm 24 is rotated about its own axis the pull exerted on Wires 33, 34 is in a straight line and due to arm 24remaining at the same relative distance from the corner the pull will continue in a straight line which will cause the wires to be drawn taut without distorting the crate or building form, this being particularly important in the latter case. When the wires are fastened by rotating arm 24 about the vertical axis l1-|1 the first twist will be adjacent to the corner of the crate and no loss of tension will result, and as the subsequent turns are made pawl 30 may be released from arm 24 to permit the wire wound thereon to pay out as it is being shortened due to the fastening the upper wall 9 of groove 9 being spaced sufficiently away from the corner to permit the required number of twists to be placed in the wire. The faces 4-4 being substantially large the strain is spread over a comparatively large area permitting the use of the tool on crates of light construction without dangerof mutilating the surface thereof.

In the embodiments illustrated in Figs. 4-6 head 40 is permanently held in shoe 2 by a flange 42 which is secured to the collar ID in any suitable way such for example as by the screws 44. To permit the tool to be slid into place over the wires head 40 is provided with a recess it which may be alined with the opening [6, and to permit a fair lead of the wires the upwardly projecting ears 48 are cut away at 50 to provide clearances therefore in like manner to the guideways N3 of the first embodiment. The operation of this embodiment is similar to that of the embodiment previously described. As arm 24 remains in the same plane both as the wire is being tensioned and twisted the only adjustment required in the use of the tool is the alinement of the guideways and leadways and the engaging or disengaging of pawl 30.

Although in the embodiments shown the faces of the shoe and the guideways intersect at 90 degrees it is understood that the tool may be constructed to fit corners of a greater or lesser degree than 90 degrees as for example when used on hexagonal building forms, it being essential that the guideways of the head aline with the leadways of the shoe to form a substantially continuous guideway through the tool permitting the wire to have a fair lead from the form to the tensioning means.

What I claim is:

1. A device of the character described comprising a base adapted to fit the corner of an object to be wired, a rotatable head mounted in said base, and means carried by the head for placing a tension on the wire, said head being provided with guideways to permit a fair lead of the wire to said tensioning means.

2. An article of the character described in claim 1 wherein the faces of the base are at right angles to one another.

3. An article of the class described in claim 1 wherein an opening is provided in the end of the base to permit the ready insertion of the wires.

4. An article of the class described in claim 1 wherein said tensioning means comprised a trans- Verse arm and means for actuating said arm.

5-. A device of the character described comprising a base adapted to fit the corner of the object being wired, a rotatable head mounted in said base. upwardly projecting ears carried by the head, a transverse arm rotatable in said ears, a ratchet secured to said arm for rotating same, and means for permitting the wire to be secured to the arm.

6. A device of the character described comprising a base adapted to fit a corner, tensioning means carried by said base portion said base portion being provided with guideways to permit a fair lead of the wires therethrough to the tensioning means.

'7. A device of the character described comprising a body portion adapted to fit a corner, tensioning means carried by said body portion, at a fixed distance from the carrier, said tensioning means forming with the extensions of the wire to be tied an isoceles triangle.

8. A device of the character described comprising a base adapted to fit the corner of an object to be wired, a head at a fixed distance from the corner mounted in the base, tensioning means supported by the head, said means being adapted to receive wires which lead through said device in straight lines.

9. A device of the character described provided with means for tensioning wires crossing one another by applying a straight line pull thereto to each of said Wires, and rotatable means for turning said tensioning means to twist the wires together when sufficiently taut.

10. A device of the character described comprising a body portion adapted to fit a corner, tensioning means carried by said body portion, said tensioning means forming with the extensions of the wire to be tied an isoceles triangle, the angle at the apex being the same as the angle at the intersection of the surfaces forming the corner.

11. A device of the character described comprising a base adapted to fit the corner of an object being wired, a member carried by said base adapted to have the wires secured thereto, means for rotating said member about a horizontal axis to place the wires under tension and means for rotating said member about a vertical axis to twist the wires together, said member being supported at a fixed distance from the object being wired.

12. A device of the character described comprising a base adapted to fit a corner, a rotatable head supported in the base, said base and head being provided with guideways which when alined are substantially continuous, a rotatable arm transversely supported in the head, said arm being sufficiently wide topermit wires led through said guideways to be secured thereto without changing the lead thereof.

DAVID F. DOLSON. 

